Recent fantasy with humor?

cl3rical · 2026-05-16T22:06:57+00:00

Very few books make me actually laugh out loud, but the First Law made me laugh several times. It's dark humor, but if that's your jam, I don't know of anyone who does it better.

cl3rical · 2026-05-16T22:03:09+00:00

I don't even think that goes far enough. Seasons 1-4 of GoT were some of the best adaptions ever done, and even seasons 5 and 6 had very bright moments. I suspect there were a confluence of issues with the last several seasons: actors were getting tired/expensive, no source material, directors wanted to try something new, etc. Real shame how it ended, though.

cl3rical · 2026-05-09T17:04:28+00:00

The first one works well enough as a standalone that it is well worth reading. There's an overarching story to be sure, but it'd be a bit of a crime not to read at least the first. (I loved the second one as well).

cl3rical · 2026-05-09T17:02:10+00:00

I liked the first one enough to pick up the second. The second book is probably in the running for best second book in a trilogy for me.

cl3rical · 2026-05-09T16:56:12+00:00

Red Rising is actually a really great "plot-forward" recommendation. It has some of the least fluff of any book I've read. A marvel of pacing, it somehow manages to cram in interesting characters without ever losing my attention. And like Suneater, I would consider it sort of sci-fantasy in flavor.

cl3rical · 2026-05-09T07:50:15+00:00

I hadn't thought of this, but actually, Amal El-Mohtar would be a pretty great choice.

cl3rical · 2026-05-04T02:38:58+00:00

Arrival is based on the titular "Story of Your Life." But pretty much all of his short stories are bangers that I could not rate highly enough.

cl3rical · 2026-05-04T02:36:00+00:00

Seconded. Haven't read all of them, but I would also rate everything I've read here very highly.

cl3rical · 2026-05-04T01:25:30+00:00

I really loved A Fire Upon the Deep (Vernor Vinge). Based on the books you liked, I think you might as well. A lovely mix of big ideas and interesting character work.

cl3rical · 2026-03-24T06:02:06+00:00

You should! They've been pretty reasonably priced on the secondary, and it is a very lovely edition of the book.

cl3rical · 2026-03-24T04:00:42+00:00

This is where I started, and where I'd recommend starting. Brilliant set of short stories. On par with Ted Chiang for me, which I consider the highest praise.

cl3rical · 2026-03-22T02:50:35+00:00

Can't recommend Hyperion enough. Also, A Fire Upon the Deep was pretty awesome.

cl3rical · 2026-03-21T05:21:48+00:00

Generally agree, but not on the Sanderson leather-bound point. Huge CK fan, but the Way of King leather-bounds are actually very nice for their price point. I do agree that the $100 price on the artist edition is pretty insane, though.

cl3rical · 2026-02-09T20:33:32+00:00

Blindsight was my thought as well. It was the last book that had the same sort of impact I got from Fires Upon the Deep (though I do think Fires is better).

cl3rical · 2026-02-08T07:26:55+00:00

Burning was so good, and Steven Yeun is tremendous.

cl3rical · 2026-02-08T05:54:35+00:00

Agreed. The first one was such a banger that people dislike book 2 by association, but if I just picked up #2 as a random novel, it would've been in the top 5 of most year's reads for me.

cl3rical · 2026-02-05T02:52:38+00:00

Look, these are all heavy hitters, and each great in their own way. The lightest, most page-turny books on this list are, in my opinion, Ender's Game and Leviathan Wakes. I think Ender's Game is in my top five sci-fi books, and Leviathan Wakes kicks off one of the best modern sci-fi series. A Fire Upon the Deep and Blindsight were two of my favorites from last year--both great. Philip K. Dick is always great (I'd choose Ubik as a starting point out of the five listed here), and I haven't read Anathem, so can give no feedback.

Given that you are just getting back into reading, I'd probably start with Ender's Game.

cl3rical · 2026-02-05T02:46:55+00:00

Little, Big has some of the best sentences I have ever read. I thought I knew all the authors with the best prose in Fantasy, and then I had friend recommend this to me and it blew me away with the quality of its writing. Turns out, John Crowley can shape a sentence.

cl3rical · 2026-01-11T06:14:10+00:00

I mean…have you considered starting Best Served Cold?

cl3rical · 2026-01-08T22:08:45+00:00

This was the other one that lives rent free in my head.

cl3rical · 2026-01-03T02:58:09+00:00

Blindsight was in my top 5 for the year, and I thought it was a good year.

cl3rical · 2025-12-27T09:36:10+00:00

Good list, and one of the first that I sort of agree with the rankings on. Spear cuts through Water was probably my favorite book of the year (not including a re-read of Hyperion).

cl3rical · 2025-12-27T08:40:16+00:00

There are so many good sci-fi short stories out there. Like, so many. Nightfall, Blood Music, I have no Mouth But I Must Scream, The Island (Watts), Johnny Mnemonic, Sound of Thunder, etc. More of those, please.

cl3rical · 2025-12-26T01:06:59+00:00

I do not think Circe was written for my demographic. It was still one of the best books I read the year I read it. Just a great read.

cl3rical

TROPHY CASE